During an off-campus press conference earlier today, Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) — now operating as SJP Dallas following its suspension — publicly challenged their suspension from hosting on-campus events by The University of Texas at Dallas administration. SJP contends that university officials are violating the organization’s First Amendment rights after misrepresenting the organization’s role in a walkout and protest during the university’s 2025 commencement ceremonies.

During the press conference, SJP said the university notified them that the organization would be suspended from on-campus activity for one year.

“On February 6, 2026, after months of disciplinary proceedings and constant attempts at repression by The University of Texas at Dallas Office of Community Standards and Conduct (OCSC), UTD suspended our Students for Justice in Palestine chapter. We appealed the decision soon after and on February 24, OCSC affirmed a decision of the suspension, denying our appeal,” Aysha Ahmed, a spokesman for SJP Dallas, said during today’s event.

“One month later, on March 24, we received a notice further restricting our ability to organize on campus and even denying us our First Amendment rights to protest and assemble. Hence, why this press conference is being held at a park behind our campus.”

SJP members say they played no role in organizing the 2025 commencement walkout.

“The walkout was by a group of students … angered at their university for continuing to dismiss their calls,” said Sarah Khalid, a student organizer with SJP Dallas.

The Mercury has sought comment from the OCSC regarding the original suspension, but has not received a response at this time.

Although not involved in the OCSC decision, Dr. Gene Fitch, UTD’s vice president for Student Affairs, confirmed to The Mercury today that his office was involved in SJP’s appeal, and referred the newspaper to the university’s code of conduct outlining the appeal process. 

SJP members said the university did not cite the specific section of the code during the disciplinary process and instead told them that the protest was not protected under the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

Marwa Elbially, an immigration and civil litigation attorney representing SJP, argued the university’s decision conflicts with both federal and state free speech protections.

“The First Amendment of the United States Constitution states that there shall be no law made which abridges the freedom of speech or the right of the people to peaceably assemble,” Elbially said.

Elbially also cited Article I, Section 8 of the Texas Constitution, which protects individuals’ right to speak and express opinions, and Texas Education Code Section 51.9315, which requires public universities to treat common outdoor areas as public forums for expressive activity.

According to Elbially, these protections apply as long as the activity is lawful and does not “materially and substantially disrupt” university operations.

Elbially argued the commencement protest — which she described as lasting roughly 28 seconds — did not meet that threshold. She said that disciplining SJP based on the protest constitutes “viewpoint discrimination,” penalizing speech based on its content rather than any actual disruption.

“They denied the First Amendment,” said Ahmed. “It proves that protests might not be protected on our campus.”

Despite presenting legal arguments, organizers said they are not pursuing legal action against the university at this time.

SJP leaders said the suspension will not stop their efforts.

“And just as our people in Palestine have endured unimaginable Zionist aggression, despite this suspension, we will continue to resist,” Khalid said. “We will continue to remain, and we will continue to fight for the liberation of Palestine. We will not stop, and we will not rest until all of our demands from UTD are met.”

 

This is a developing story. The Mercury continues to gather information and update coverage as more details become available.